Here's how much Austin's top suburbs will grow in the next 15 years

Here's how much Austin's top suburbs will grow in the next 15 years

More space, quality schools and strong housing markets make Texas suburbs the fastest-growing cities in the state.
City of San Marcos/Facebook

As population numbers continue to soar in Austin, many people are making the move out of the metropolis proper, trading in the city life for the suburb life.

For years, suburban areas have been the fastest-growing cities in Texas. With more space, quality public schools, strong housing markets and homes that are typically a fraction of what they would cost in the city, Texas suburbs are experiencing a major growth spurt. Outside of Austin, the San Marcos population experienced an 8-percent growth rate from 2013 to 2014. During that time, the suburb ranked as the fastest-growing city in the country.

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Water Development Board, LawnStarter compiled an analysis of Texas suburb growth, which revealed the state’s top 10 fastest-growing suburbs. Each is expected to grow at least 20 percent over the next 15 years with half of the suburbs on the list projected at a massive 40-percent growth rate.

The Austin suburbs on the list include Georgetown, San Marcos and Cedar Park, coming in at Nos. 2, 3 and 5, respectively.

Georgetown experienced a 7.59 percent growth increase from 2013 to 2014, which estimates its projected 2030 population at 91,085 (a 54 percent increase). San Marcos experienced a 7.93 percent increase from 2013 to 2014 and expects its population in 2030 to total 84,818 people, a 44 percent increase over the next 15 years. Cedar Park’s current population is around 64,000 and in the next 15 years projects a 41 percent increase for a population of 89,517 in 2030.

Frisco, a suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, comes in at No. 1 on the LawnStarter list with a whopping 56 percent population increase expected in the next 15 years. The other ‘burbs in the top 10 are Houston’s Conroe, Sugar Land, League City and Pearland; San Antonio’s New Braunfels; and Dallas-Fort Worth’s McKinney.

Some people move to suburbia to be a bigger part of a smaller community with the benefits of a large city nearby. The challenge facing these rapidly expanding Texas towns is to accommodate the projected growth, maintain the quality of schools and housing, and conserve the small-town feel suburban resident’s desire.